Plenary focus - February 2020

In the coming months, the EU will be locked in negotiations with the UK to define the future relationship. The Left in the European Parliament will fight against any CETA-like free trade agreements that will grant Boris Johnson all his wishes, including the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). It is also important that we prevent tax and social dumping right on our doorstep, and that consumers rights and environmental standards are maintained.

Having personally witnessed the border violence and illegal push-backs in Croatia, and hearing from others who have seen the shameful conditions on the Greek islands, this cannot go on. It is unacceptable. The time has come to call for immediate, political accountability. Sending 10,000 border guards to these areas will only exacerbate the situation. Instead, we need a humanitarian response and a political solution.

Our group wanted the Luanda Leaks to be added to the plenary as this scandal once again highlights just how weak EU regulations are in facilitating money laundering. The leaks also reveal the crucial role EU tax havens play in the financing of international criminality. More importantly, the exposé shows the shady role played by PwC, and puts into question why the Big Four auditing firms are still allowed to work so closely with EU regulators and the Commission.

The EU-Vietnam free trade agreement has zero commitments on sustainable development. It also completely contradicts the Parliament’s vote on the climate emergency. Instead, it encourages the relocation of manufacturing and production that will drive down wages, posing a risk to both European and Vietnamese workers, with no checks or balances on human rights.

The only way to ensure gender equality is to have concrete proposals that would stop discrimination on access to work and the Gender Pay Gap. We need higher wages and pensions, and better working conditions in our fight against poverty and social exclusion. Also central to gender equality is the protection and promotion of public, free, universal and quality services. Likewise, member states must do everything they can to stop gender-based violence.

This plan is just a smokescreen to distract from Trump and Netanyahu’s political scandals. It is not an agreement, as Palestine never agreed to it! The Trump plan is a scam that will only violate the Palestinians’ human rights. It will also further entrench the Israeli regime’s policy of apartheid by legitimising its illegal settlements in occupied Palestine. It’s time for the EU to stand up by urging member states to recognise the Palestinian state, and to scrap the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.

After Brexit, EU enlargement is more necessary than ever. In the troubled Western Balkans, North Macedonia took courageous steps in agreeing to the historic Prespa Agreement, for example. The nation should therefore be rewarded for its commitment to the European values of solving disputes through dialogue and peace.